[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 115 (Thursday, September 6, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H5445-H5446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 MARKING AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE RESEARCH, THE 
                      MORRIS K. UDALL RESEARCH ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to come to the 
floor this evening to mark the fourth anniversary of the passage of the 
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act, an anniversary that occurred 
this week.
  In 1999, along with my friends and colleagues, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Upton); the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans); the 
gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Skeen); the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. 
Mark Udall); the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Tom Udall); and the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), I formed the Congressional 
Working Group on Parkinson's Disease. The working group strives to 
ensure that the Nation's decisionmakers remain ever aware of the needs 
of the more than one million Americans struggling with the devastating 
disease of Parkinson's.
  Four years ago this Monday, Senator Wellstone was successful in 
adding the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act as an amendment to 
the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. Not surprisingly, the 
amendment was approved by a vote of 95 to 3.
  Named for Arizona Representative Mo Udall to honor his legacy, the 
Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act was originally introduced on 
April 9 of 1997. The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Upton) and the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) were the bill's lead sponsors in 
the House, and Senator McCain and Senator Wellstone were the sponsors 
in the Senate. In the 105th Congress, this bill had over 255 
cosponsors, and I was proud to be an original cosponsor.
  The Udall Act expanded basic and clinical research in Parkinson's 
disease. It established Udall Centers of

[[Page H5446]]

Excellence around the country and set up the Morris K. Udall Awards in 
Parkinson's Research to provide grants to scientists who are working to 
cure Parkinson's. One of the 11 Udall Centers is located in the City of 
New York. The New York group is doing innovative research, including 
identifying new genes, that when either expressed or suppressed, 
contribute to the degeneration of key nerve cells. They are also 
investigating gender and ethnic differences in people with Parkinson's 
Disease.
  Notably too, Columbia University's Dean of Medicine is the former 
director of NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and 
Stroke, Dr. Gerald Fischbach. The work at this Udall Center, as well as 
centers across the country, is leading to a better understanding of the 
brain and how this disease affects it. The ground-breaking research at 
the Udall Centers, as well as our Nation's public and private sector 
research efforts, will lead to better treatments and hopefully, a cure 
for Parkinson's.
  In this Congress, I will proudly join the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. Mark Udall) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Tom Udall) and 
members of the Congressional Working Group in introducing a 
reauthorization of the Morris K. Udall Parkinson's Research Act. I urge 
all of my colleagues to join us in this effort.
  In the spirit of Mo Udall's tenacity and strength of purpose, we 
cannot stop now. We must wholeheartedly support Parkinson's research 
until we find a cure.
  As the President has said, we must continue on a path to doubling the 
NIH budget by 2003. In last year's appropriations, over $71 million of 
the NIH budget was designated for Parkinson's disease research, but 
this is only year 1 funding of the NIH's 5-year plan for Parkinson's 
disease research.
  Leading scientists describe Parkinson's as the most curable 
neurological disorder. That is why I urge my colleagues to support the 
second year funding of the 5-year NIH plan. Recent advances in 
Parkinson's disease research have given us hope that a cure is very 
near. The science regarding Parkinson's has advanced to a stage where 
greater management and coordination of the federally funded research 
effort will accelerate the base of scientific progress dramatically. I 
ask all of my colleagues to support the NIH research agenda by fully 
funding the $143 million increase for fiscal year 2002 in the Labor-HHS 
appropriations bill.
  Secondly, we must continue to fund the U.S. Army's Neurotoxin 
Exposure Treatment Research Program. The research not only strives to 
improve the treatment of neurological diseases, but also aims to 
identify the causes of diseases and prevent them. I am heartened by the 
scientific progress being made. We are very close to a cure for this 
disease.
  As my colleagues may know, this is a personal issue for many of us. 
Some of my colleagues are struggling with Parkinson's or have family 
members who are living with this terrible disease. My own father has 
been afflicted by Parkinson's, and I have seen the impact of this 
disease firsthand and have spoken to the experts. Professionals at NIH 
have said that this disease is curable within as little as 5 years, and 
I hope that our government will be part of making this research happen.
  Mr. Speaker, an important part of curing Parkinson's disease depends 
on stem cell research and allowing that research to go forward.

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